Animal Systematics and The Trituration of Hirudo Medicinalis

As my previous articles on Corallium rubrum and Meconium humanum stated, I have begun an extensive project of systematization of the Animal Materia Medica.

Part of this project involves a survey of all of the animal remedies, and a commentary on the relative representation of each of the animal families in the Materia Medica.

However, a preliminary view of the results is already possible. Of the 35 animal Phyla, 10 have members which have been potentised. They are listed in Table 1:

Phyla with Potentised Members

Phyla lacking Potentised Members

Annelida

Arthropoda

Brachiopoda

Chordata

Cnidaria Echinodermata

Mollusca

Nematoda Platyhelmenthes

Porifera

Acanthocephala

Acoelomorpha

Bryozoa

Chatognatha

Cnetophoa

Cycliophora

Entoprocta

Gnathostomulida

Hemichordata

Kinorhyncha

Loricifera

Micrognathozoa

Nematomorpha

Nemeterea

Onychophora

Orthonectida

Phoronida

Placozoa

Pripulida

Rhombozoa

Rotifera

Tardigrada

Xenacoelomorpha

Most of the larger Phyla with more than 5000 species have had members potentised (with the exception of the Bryozoa). However, some of the phyla which have been potentised have not yet had a single member proven, such as the Nematoda and the Platyhelminthes. Proving activity within other groups has been inconsistent.

For instance, in the Arthropods, we have a large number of remedies. However these remedies are, for the most part, concentrated in the Spiders and the Lepidoptera (Butterflies). Entire subphyla, such as the pycnogonids (Sea Spiders) remain completely unknown. Others, such as the Crustacea, have a few provings. The insect families remain strongly underrepresented, with many important species and families remaining almost completely unknown. There are, within the insects approximately 26 families, of which 15 have some homeopathic representation. Of these 15 approximately 5 have only one remedy proven. In the Arachnids, of 11 orders, we have remedies made from 4, and three with extensive provings done. Even within the spiders, one suborder, the Mesotheleae remain unknown and unpotentised. The Myriapods have one poorly proven remedy. The trilobites have only one proven remedy as well.

This inconsistent pattern holds throughout my survey of the Materia medica. Many groups of animals are underrepresented to the extent of silence, while others are overrepresented to the point where differentiating them becomes challenging. The most conspicuous example of overrepresentation occurs in the snakes. 13 remedies are present in the Elapidae, 13 in the Viperae, 4 in the Boidae and one in the Colubrae. Entire divisions of the snakes, such as the Scolelophida, Aniliidae, Uropeltidae and the Tropidophiidae are completely unrepresented. Other divisions of the reptiles (a problematic grouping in and of itself) are dramatically underrepresented. The Crocodilians have 1 proven member, the turtles 4 and the lizards 6. However, lizards are actually quite difficult to distinguish taxonomically from the snakes, and should perhaps be included with them.

A true exploration of the Materia medica is beyond the scope of this article. The examples I have given however are typical of the Materia medica, and its lack of evenness. I propose here three principles, which should guide the further exploration of animal remedies within Homeopathy.

Homeopathy benefits from having a larger number of remedies available. This allows for more precise remedy selection and deeper curative action of remedies, particularly in mental emotional disorders.

Having a more complete knowledge of Materia medica in any area (mineral, plant, animal or other) allows us to more perfectly remove obstacles to our patients in their ongoing spiritual development[1].

Homeopathy should extend the range of its proven remedies to which we have knowledge of. Ideally we would have Homeopathic representation of all major groups of animals (as well as Plants, Minerals and other groups).

Using these principles homeopathy can more effectively direct its proving efforts in ways which maximize our knowledge, and give us more effective tools in practice.

I have begun my own efforts to expand the Materia medica with the series of triturations that have been published in Hpathy[2]. I have so far tried to use existing remedies which lack a mental picture. One of the remedies I have triturated as part of this effort is Hirudo medicinalis, a medicinal leech with a long history of use in medicine, and an interesting picture of physical pathology, but no detailed mental image.

The Trituration of Hirudo Medicinalis

This specimen was purchased from Niagara Leeches. It was euthanized with vodka and the whole leech was triturated. The skin of the leech was extremely tough, and did not degrade throughout the trituration. After the internal tissues of the leech degraded and the trituration was complete, I removed the skin and placed it in my garden to decompose. I felt great sorrow for this poor little creature needing to be euthanized for this trituration and performed several meditative procedures to help guide it’s spirit to the next life peacefully. I thank it gratefully for its role in this trituration. This trituration was preformed by myself alone, and all notes were compiled during the actual trituration.

C1-3

The three initial levels of this trituration paint a picture of a being profoundly consumed by its own weakness. In it, I felts a profound inner weakness prevented me from living in my own inner nature. I felt desperate to escape this inner weakness, and felt great contempt for weakness in any form, whether internally or externally. I reacted to this feeling of desperation by attempting to control my environment, controlling and manipulating others and justifying my behavior through the weakness of my victims, or by clinging onto others co-dependantly trying to use them to strengthen myself.

I feel corrupted. Some ucky energy runs through my body. It makes me not like myself a great deal

I have really low self-esteem. I feel weak, and I despise myself for that

That is very important. Weak…

I feel sneaky as well. I feel as if I am trying to make up for my weakness with some sort of cleverness

I feel a great deal of worry as well

I feel really down on myself. I’m pathetic. I’m less than a human, less than anything around me, just less than they are

I am very unhappy. I just want to crawl up in a ball and hide! I want to be alone

Headache in left temple. The sensation is like a pressure

I feel like curling up into a ball and hiding

I feel like crying right now at my own situation

C3:

I’m pretty down on myself again.

I’m unhappy, depressed and weak.

And I’m scornful. Not only do I have contempt for myself, but I disguise the weakness in others too.

I hate them.

The world is filled with weak people and I feel contempt and loathing for them and their weakness.

I’m so weak… ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!- it makes me so angry!

I want to be strong. I wish I wasn’t so weak.

I’m seething with hate and loathing for my own weakness.

And I’ve got nothing but contempt for the weakness of others. They’re weaker even than I am!

I feel like their weakness justifies however I want to treat them; they’re beneath contempt.

Now I feel the anger fading away. All I feel is a profound despair

I’m hopeless. I’ll never get better.

I feel desperate. As if I am willing to hold onto anyone who will help me in this feeling of weakness.

That’s it. I feel desperate. I feel like hanging onto anyone who is near who can help me get rid of or fight off this internal weakness. It’s horrible. I’m willing to do anything to escape it.

I will do anything to avoid dealing with this feeling of weakness

It is a feeling of softness.

I am feeling hopelessness. I don’t feel like I can get better or crawl my way out of this despair.

It is as if I’m always going to be this low, always going to be nothing and no one.

I’m literally nothing. I’m so weak I’m not even around anyone. Just a weak nothing.

C4 This level of the trituration discovers the meaning of the weakness which was so disturbing in the C1-3 triturations. In the course of development, prior to the creation of the physical body there exists a taste, a flavor which is the essence of the being. In layer three the essence imprints itself on the energy and physical body. In Hirudo, what was perceived in C1-3, as weakness is in fact simply the state of the energy body prior to being imprinted by the self.

Preformed February 19th 2015:

I feel relief today, along with happiness and joy.

My weakness doesn’t bother me.

And my dark mood lifts!

I feel really uplifted. I’m happy and appreciative!

The issues I felt yesterday feel so silly now! The hatred, the contempt, the self loathing, all of them seem to be over something so small.

I thought I was weak, but I’m not.

I simply haven’t been grown into myself yet. I haven’t become myself yet.

And its not as if I wont become myself. It is that I just am in my progress of doing that. It is taking a little longer than I thought, but it is still happening.

There is something about that feeling of weakness (from C3) that is important.

Was it really weakness to begin with? I get the feeling now that what I perceived as weakness was in fact not so. It was simply the lack of the imprinting of my spirit into my body. It was a temporary lack of me!

And right now I do get the sense that there is a real me out there. There is an energy, a flavor that is me!

All I have to do is bring this flavor into my vehicle. That strengthens my vehicle in some way and removes this feeling of weakness.

It would be more correct to think of the weakness feeling as a neutrality.

And now I feel like more of myself is emerging. I feel my body taking on more of my characteristics. It feels good. It feels like my body is now an extension of me!

My vehicle with the characteristics of me added to it becomes stronger somehow!

Its like weakness was from a lack of self expression from my bodies (energetic and physical)

About the author

Dr Paul Theriault

Dr. Paul Theriault is a Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He focuses his practice on Mental/emotional health, Musculoskeletal pain, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Weight loss, CEASE Therapy and Advanced detoxification, Hormonal Health and Digestive health. He is currently writing a book systematizing the animal kingdom within Homeopathy, similar to Yakir’s work on Plants and Scholten’s Mineral table. The preliminary work can be accessed at tableofanimals.com . His website is drpaultheriault.com. He can be reached at drpaultheriault.nd@gmail.com